Goldfish in the Shark Tank #1

It is funny to look back to childhood and remember all the funny predictions adults made about your future endeavors. I remember all kinds of them from early on. Mom always thought I would be an architect. This was mostly based on a love of blocks as a five-year-old. Grandma thought I would be a professional golfer. She never saw me play, but it was fun to think about. Everyone in grade school seemed to think I was destined for greatness.
For some strange reason the optimism came to a grinding halt during high school and beyond. Apparently an obsession with girls, speeding tickets and detention doesn't spur the same whimsical thoughts in the older generations. But despite watching my hair grow much faster than my brain my family still held out hope. My poor father sat quietly as he watched my ears get pierced, my cars get wrecked and my life's focus become pizza spinning and playing drums. I did always manage to keep a job and while I'm sure things weren't going according to his plan at least I wasn't costing him money. To his eternal credit he smiled and welcomed me at the front desk of the division of the US Attorney's office he was in charge of. Leather biker jacket, waist-length hair and all. My family was so nice about underachieving I was completely shocked when my decision not to go to college met with resistance.
What could possibly be wrong with living in a small apartment and working at the mall pizza joint. (Still one of my favorite jobs.)
"Please take the ACT one more time," my mother pleaded.
"Don't worry Mom. I'll take some classes at the Community College. I'll be fine." I assured her.
I can only imagine this promise meant very little to her. She had already watched her son go from the 3rd ranked student in his class to the bottom 25% in one year.
"I'll let you take the van to Colorado for your ski trip if you try one more time." She begged.
"Fine."
"I'll show her." I thought.
So the night before the Saturday morning test I stayed up until 2am drinking all the NightTrain I could get my hands on. Surely a good hang over would make the four-hour test fly by.
Not the case.
I remember nothing of the morning of my second ACT except that I must have put my name on some else's exam. I only know the second part because two months later I got my results back and a full scholarship to any school in the state.
Never argue with your mother. They have weird powers.

So off to school I went. I was headed to Northeast Missouri State University (currently Truman State.) I came to this decision because of its fine academic reputation and the fact that my high school girlfriend would be attending. It turned out to be a great school that I and both my younger sisters attended, but I can take very little credit for that good decision.
It dawns on me now that very few of the good decisions in my life up to this point were mine. Better to be lucky they say.
This is probably also a good time to note that I was not a very big fan of beer at this point in my life. Since much of the rest of this story revolves around it in one way or the other it is notable that I only drank cheap beer because I would get laughed at for drinking wine. How many hippy,bug-driving rock drummers crush a wine goblet over their head after the show? By the end of my first year of college I suppose I had gotten used to it, but that is about it.
Sure, I was often the guy collecting the three dollars at the keg at various parties, but I always made a point to slam the first few draws to get past my dislike for whatever fine beverage was being tapped.
The first year of college came and went. There were classes, parties and regular trips back home. Grades were pretty good so far and I had chosen my future calling. Music.
There was only one problem with my chosen calling. I wasn't particularly good at music. I could play every instrument just well enough to get on stage, but not the kind of talent that "Behind the Music" stories are made of. I was still years away from being self aware about my musical shortcomings when my real passion crept in with very little notice.

Beer is for Fun

As a brewer, occasional writer and constant reader it is sometimes hard to keep a focus. There are certainly some things that are very easy to focus on. One must pay the bills and keep things rolling in the right direction. But the type of focus I am talking about is the "Why" of the beer business.
Most of us brewers start out home brewing. It is a hobby that combines all kinds of skills. It is 9 parts attention to detail and one part creativity. The challenge is closest to that in golf. Everyone can hit a good shot sometimes, but it takes a great deal more talent to do it regularly and the challenges are always just a bit different. It is this need for attention and detail that sometimes blur the real "Why" of beer.
Turn professional in this business and you get to add taxes and paperwork and there is even less time to smell the hops.
All this makes it necessary to sit down from time to time and make sure the "Why" is defined. In our case we are lucky enough to have an historic brewing site to take care of and hopefully over the years improve. Any history buff might think that is enough of a reason by itself, but there is more to it.
The bottom line is that beer is fun. Just look at this photo. No one by the camera is telling a joke or mooning the crowd. People are just drinking different beers and having a great time. Sampling all kinds of different flavors tells you a bit about yourself. "I don't usually like that type," is a common comment at a tasting. A person can literally find new ways to enjoy themselves through beer and tastings.
Some folks take the tasting more seriously creating rating systems and entire new languages to try to describe beer and its flavors. There is nothing wrong with this as long as the task itself is enjoyable to the person performing it. I often taste a new beer and try to pick out all the ingredients and methods used, but in the end either I liked it or I didn't. In most cases its just a matter of what occasion a beer is best suited for.
There will always be a certain joy in getting to do something everyday that I used to have to spend spare time doing, but the real reason for brewing is providing the entertainment. We are definitely not saving lives over here but making lives more fun to live seems like a worthy pursuit.

Contemplating Stout

As an owner of an Irish pub I have a unique take on stout. When other bars in the neighborhood are selling one stout to a die-hard, we are tapping several kegs a night. Not just on a snowy winter evening, but every weekend of the year.
I have to admit that I have not made it to Ireland myself, but all the stories lead me to believe that aside from the American lager invasion, the Irish still chug stout like it's water.
With this background it was impossible for the Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout to go untried.
I picked it up this evening and it started me thinking about stout in general even before I opened a single bottle.
Historically, stout is exactly what its name suggests. Brewers with very little control over their malting and temperatures occasionally overdid a porter. I'm sure this was sometimes intentional and often an accident. Stout porter could be higher in alcohol, color, bitterness or all of the above. This wild definition is still all that exists today. The only extra help one gets from the brewer today is the word "Imperial" if it is extremely high in alcohol.
This lack of information makes it hard to decide when to make one of these part of your day. There are a couple things that can help you decide. Alcohol content is one. A day at the beach and a 9% beer are probably not the perfect pairing unless you have a crush on the lifeguard and figure getting blasted and nearly drowning will help get attention. Summer is not usually the big time for stouts, but their durable character makes it something to think about. These beers are much less likely to get crappy if left in the back of the car for a couple days and often taste better a bit warmer if that should happen by accident.
Guinness also likes to point out that their stout is actually much lower in calories than one might expect. If you have ever tasted other stouts this claim isn't really that surprising. Aside from some dark malt there isn't much to American draught Guinness. It is currently manufactured in Canada which should be a clue.
Guinness is not the only stout made to last a whole evening. Many stouts on the market are lower in alcohol than pales and other light ales. You can even choose from coffee and espresso stouts that can help ward off drowsiness depending on how they are made.
As for the Guinness 250th Anniversary stout.
Stick to Extra Stout!

What is a Summer Beer?

Summer beer is an awfully meaningless term. Fall and Winter have pretty well defined styles that go with them. It is a safe be that July and August are not the biggest months for Double Imperial Stouts.
The beers most suited for summertime use are generally made all year long. You won’t catch me buying many, but if someone brought me a Bud Light just after I mowed the lawn it would probably sound pretty good.
Since their beers are already suited to summer the big guys are forced to offer “lime” beers or other Mexican knock-offs. As a guy who loves nearly all beers, these are a few I could do without. There are a few decent ones out there. Sol comes to mind. Just don’t get me started on Corona. There is a reason all those urban legends started.
As difficult as it is to make a box that summer beers fit in they can be very interesting.
Many are light. Boulevard here in KC makes Zon, which is a very light Belgian. Many use fruit or fruit flavors to make wheat styles into their summer offerings. I think these can be refreshing. The tartness of cherry or raspberry could help out in the heat. The problem comes in when brewers add a bunch of syrup. Sweet just doesn’t go with sweat in my book. I would rather see brewers make a nice, light wheat and let drinkers flavor it themselves. I realize this is a sin to many beer geeks, but I think a well placed lemon, lime, orange or jalapeno can be a great addition. We all have different tastes. Most folks don’t consider someone an idiot for adding a bit of salt to some potatoes.
When we developed our SunRye’s Ale up here in Weston we were looking to pack a bit more into the summer seasonal. We used the guideline of dryness as a guide. We still wanted to use a bunch of malt (crystal rye in this case.) But we wanted to do it without the sweetness. This all worked out fine. It is one of our favorites and something to look forward to each year. Still it didn’t scream SUMMER! Then one evening a friend brought over a couple of fresh limes and started squeezing them into his beer. “What the hell are you doing?” we asked. He just smiled and handed over the glass. PERFECT. I need to remind you that this beer is already fruity. A dry ale yeast fermented at somewhat high temps and crystal rye make for a unique flavor. I would have never guessed this one could take the citrus without being disgusting.
I suppose the point here is to have fun with the summer beers. There are all kinds of shandies and the like. Slug your Oktoberfest when the time comes. Sip your Winterfest, but for the next couple months go crazy. Enjoy all the variety and raise a toast to the fact that you aren’t drinking Zima.

Beer Dinner in Weston

The only thing better than a great beer is a great beer with and in food. You can only imagine my delight at the opportunity to host the Weston Brewing Company's first beer dinner of 2009. The event is Friday, February 20th beginning at 6:30pm. The hosted dinner will be in the Upper Pub. Appetizers begin at 6:30pm with dinner starting at 7pm. The meal and Weston Brewing Company beer will be $25 which includes pub entrance for the evening. The first 75 reservations will be in the pub with additional reservations in the restaurant available at a variety of times. Join me for a great night.
Below is the delicious menu...

Beer Dinner Menu

Crab Bowl Dip - Start things off with this refreshing crab dip. Made with our own Leaping Leprechaun beer. Try our new seasonal with this one.
Caldo de Queso - OK, we lost the Irish theme for a minute but we don't think you'll mind. This one is made with our Emerald Lager and that one is the perfect match for this course.

Entree Choices:

Grilled Swordfish - This is our Lent special this year and we couldn't wait to show it off. This one is grilled with our special Drop Kick Ale brewed for the Kansas City Wizards.
Beef & O'Malley's - This is a twist on our traditional beef & Guinness served in the restaurant for years. This was part of our first beer dinner ever and one of our favorites. Ofcourse, you will want to enjoy this with a Cream Ale.

Chocolate Truffles - Finish with some truffles made with Flying Monkey Stout for a dark rich flavor.

Pabst Welcomes Hunters

It seems like many years ago when I first noticed beers signs in windows and in bars that welcomed and encouraged hunting. In my college days in Kirksville MO such signs were the norm. A huge orange sign with a deer head that welcomed the hunters into the bar or politely requested they procure a case was in every window.
I will grant that we always thought this was an iffy marriage. Lethal force, and a chemical that causes you to use it unwisely. We laughed at the joke, but never thought much of it. We were in the Midwest, get used to it.
A decade later I am an avid hunter and a beer guzzler. What used to seem ridicules now makes some sense. While there is no doubt the beer companies try to tie things together for profit, there really is a common note.
For most hunters that aren't hunting because they are hungry, hunting is leisure, recreation and social. There is nothing better suited to a social setting than beer. No one is encouraging a drunken hunt, but don't show up at the lodge without the proper refreshment. There is a lot of time between dusk and dawn. There is no way you need that much sleep.
My advice to all is bring plenty of beer to enjoy after the hunt. Nothing helps you celebrate or drown your sorrows like sweet beer.

Winter Warms the Soul

The end of the year and the beginning of winter brings all sorts of traditions and fun. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s are times of year that people remember for the rest of their lives. It always seems like this time of year creates memories that are even more vivid than other seasons. I can remember sounds and smells of these times like no other.
It is no wonder then that brewers take advantage of these sensory images to create some of the best beers of the years.
There are certain great seasonals all year long, but winter always brings out the most flavorful. It is very hard for a brewer to pack much flavor into a beer you will have to drink fast in order to avoid dehydration as in a Summer seasonal. Fall beers are a bit stronger, but brewers still have to keep in mind that many people are going to be at a festival drinking many beers at a sitting. If you brew a 9% beer this time of year there will be a good deal of cleanup.
That leaves winter as the brewer’s great white canvas. I remeber many years ago brewing a small batch of dark India Pale Ale. It was my first brew and it just seemed right in winter.
This is definitely the time of year to pick your favorite brewer and see what they have to offer. This is going to be the beer that should define them.
Sam Adams is one of the best examples of this. You can drink every one of the millions of Sam Adams flavors on the shelf, but you will never find one that beats Fezziwig Ale. It is hard not to be happy just looking at the bottle. Little Dickens characters dancing around on the front of the bottle. How could this possibly be bad. This beer blends all kinds of different flavors, but in the end they mix to make a warm feeling all their own.
This one tops my list, but there are many others. Here in Weston we brew our Festival Ale for the fall and winter holidays. A bit darker than an Octoberfest, this beer has a malty base that lasts into the cold nights.
Many brewers rely heavily on malt and alcohol to make their winter beers special. This is a great feature if you are relaxing at home in front of the fire, but can cause some problems if you have enjoyed very many of these treats at your favorite pub. This is not an overall problem as there are plenty of these beauties that are in the normal content range, but it certainly something to keep an eye on.
If you are not next door to Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams or any of the other producers of distributed winter beers, this is a great time to check out the local brewpub. Almost every small brewer is going to be trying their hand at something that is likely to be wonderful to sip with some food. Depending on the day, a stop by the Weston Brewing Company will lend you a chance to try one of Justin’s "Reserve" batches that are certain to warm the soul. These and many other reserve beers, are made with the first run off the mash of a standard beer. The result is a much richer flavor. These styles of beer are also a great way to enjoy the holidays.